Surfing hotspot of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica will be in the spotlight again next weekend, April 18 and 19, for the season’s fourth 2015 Costa Rica National Surfing Cup competition. Sponsored by ISAW Action Cameras of Australia, the ISAW Cup will be held on the spectacular beach of Santa Teresa in front of the Banana Beach restaurant.
Competitive surfers from all over Costa Rica will be in town to vie for the trophy and improve their rankings toward the Grand Finale in July. The favorite in the men’s competition with hometown advantage is Anthony Fillingim of Santa Teresa, who is currently leading in the No. 1 spot for the season. Four-time Costa Rica Men’s Surfing Champion, Gilberth Brown of Limon, is in 7th place.
Current top rankings in the Costa Rica National Surfing Circuit are:
Men’s Open competition
- Anthony Fillingim of Santa Teresa, 1st place
- Carlos Munoz of Esterillos Oeste, 2nd place
- David Herrera of Quepos, 3rd place.
Women’s Open competition
- Leilani McGonagle of Pavones, 1st place in Women’s Open and Juniors Women (Leilani is defending the national women’s junior title.)
- Emily Gussoni of Jacó, 2nd place in Women’s Open and Juniors Women
- Lisbeth Vindas of Jacó, 11-time Costa Rica Women’s Surfing Champion, 3rd place
Surfing in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
On Costa Rica’s southern Nicoya Peninsula, Santa Teresa and neighboring Mal Pais draw visitors from all over the world who come to surf, relax, do yoga, and enjoy one of Central America’s top tropical beaches.
The white sand beach of Santa Teresa and neighboring Playa Carmen, Playa Hermosa and Mal Pais offer consistent beach breaks and point breaks for experienced and beginner surfers. Water temperatures are usually 83-85°F; no wetsuit needed! Up-to-date surf conditions for Santa Teresa are reported daily by Magic Seaweed.
Where to stay in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Whether you are coming for the Costa Rica National Surfing Circuit competition, or to Santa Teresa Costa Rica Surf , your place to stay is Hotel Tropico Latino. The Santa Teresa beachfront hotel at beautiful Playa Carmen caters to surfers and yoga enthusiasts with Costa Rica surf vacations and Costa Rica yoga retreats. Playa Carmen was recently awarded the Ecological Blue Flag by the Costa Rican Tourism Board for being one of the cleanest beaches in the country.
Read our blog article on how to get to Santa Teresa Beach in Costa Rica from San Jose.
Article by Shannon Farley
